Oklahoma lawmakers gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday for an interim study examining the foundational policies needed to make the state a more attractive destination for residents and employers, with business leaders urging a shift in focus away from tax cuts toward education and workforce development.
Chad Warmington, CEO and president of the State Chamber, told the legislative panel that Oklahoma’s overall tax burden—which accounts for corporate, income, property, and unemployment insurance taxes—has improved from 29th to 19th nationwide over the last four years. “So, from a tax competitive standpoint, Oklahoma is in really good shape,” Warmington said, adding that the state is also performing well in infrastructure while struggling with low rankings in health and education.
The legislative hearing featured nearly a dozen speakers discussing the state’s long-term strategy for recruiting and retaining talent. Sean Burrage, chancellor of higher education, told lawmakers that Oklahoma lags behind national benchmarks in educational attainment, with just 29.3% of adults holding a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to a national average of 36.8%.
“If we want Oklahoma to compete for opportunities in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, engineering technology, and other growing industries, we have to increase the number of Oklahomans earning post-secondary degrees and credentials, and our challenges begin well before students arrive at college,” Burrage said.
Workforce Gaps and Quality of Life Priorities
Business executives at the hearing emphasized that workforce shortages stem from local preparation rather than state tax policy. Chad Zamarin, president and CEO of the Tulsa-based Williams Companies—the largest natural gas midstream company in America—noted that while his firm will hire 1,500 new employees this year, it struggles to fill 150 of those positions from within the state.
“The talent we need is not being adequately developed locally and not choosing to move here,” Zamarin said. While praising the state’s affordable cost of living and shorter commutes, he stressed that public safety, homelessness, and mental health must be addressed aggressively alongside education and workforce initiatives.
“You will note that I do not list corporate tax cuts, corporate incentives, personal income tax cuts as top priorities,” Zamarin said. “Quality of life advantages far outweigh tax and incentive strategies in Oklahoma.” He added that the state is losing prospective talent not to Texas due to tax policy, but rather on “the basic conditions that determine whether talent says yes to our state.”
Lessons From Tulsa Remote and Out-of-State Migration
Justin Harlan, managing director of Tulsa Remote—an initiative that offered out-of-state remote workers $10,000 to relocate to Tulsa for a year—provided data on worker retention during the study. Harlan reported that 85% of participants remained living in Tulsa two years after joining, while 75% have continued to live there since arriving in 2019.
The program drew top application numbers from major metropolitan areas including Austin, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Diego. According to Harlan, participants cited local parks, outdoor recreation, cultural offerings, safety, food, and music as the primary motivations for staying.
“People in expensive cities are actively looking for somewhere more livable and affordable to live and Oklahoma can be that place,” Harlan said.
